


Make Some Sense

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Post Bartlett Administration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-07-14
Updated: 2001-07-14
Packaged: 2019-05-15 13:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14791589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: "Take the time to make some sense of what you want to say ..."  Same AU as the Jukebox Series





	1. Make Some Sense

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

The Masterplan: Prologue  
Category: C.J./Sam, General  
Rating: G  
Disclaimers: Not mine. Oasis' and Aaron Sorkin's.  
Summary: Setting up the series.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the purposes of this story/series, President Bartlet was not  
re-elected. The President from 2002-2006 is a Republican, so our favourite band  
of Democrats, as you'll see, do not work in the White House.  
This is also the same AU as the Jukebox Series. ~Cara

+

January 4, 2002  
Wedding in the White House  
By KATIE LORD  
Post Staff Writer

Claudia Jean Cregg and Samuel Seaborn, the White House Press Secretary and  
Deputy Communications Director, were married today in the East Room of the White  
House in one of President Bartlet's last scheduled functions before the  
inauguration of Republican President-elect Joseph Stewart on January 20.  
Originally the wedding had been planned for St. Matthew's Catholic Church on  
18th St., but scheduling conflicts prompted the move. President Bartlet  
graciously allowed the room to be used.  
The bride wore a long, full gown designed by Donna Karan. The groom, the  
fathers of the bride and groom, and the best man wore tuxedos by Armani, and the  
maid of honor was in a thin, royal purple by Vera Wang. The mother of the bride  
was also in Vera Wang, while the mother of the groom wore Versace.  
Two hundred guests turned out for the ceremony, including many ambassadors.  
Flora Devlin, the Irish ambassador to the United States and a personal friend of  
the groom, did a reading during the service from the Irish book Cé He Mise  
Ulaìng.  
"We're thrilled," Devlin said after toasting her friends. "Sam and C.J. are so  
happy together and I wish them all the best."  
Eleanor Cregg, mother of the bride and Assistant to the President for  
Legislative Affairs, was also very happy.  
"I couldn't ask for a sweeter son-in-law," she said. "Sam is joyfully welcome to  
our family."  
The honeymoon will be two weeks in Barbados.

  


Week of May 27, 2002  
BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES

MARRIAGE: Donnatella Antonia Moss to Joshua Jacob Lyman, May 25, 2002. Best man:  
Samuel Seaborn. Maid of honor: Claudia Jean (Cregg) Seaborn.

  


Week of March 8, 2003  
BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES

MARRIAGE: Eleanor Victoria (Tobin) Cregg to Leopold Bernard McGarry, March 1,  
2003\. Best man: Josiah Bartlet. Maid of honor: Mallory (McGarry) O'Brien.  
BIRTH: Alyssa Jane Seaborn, 4.9 lbs, to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Seaborn, George  
Washington Hospital, March 6, 2003.

  


Week of October 3, 2003  
BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES

BIRTHS: Rebecca Jonika Lyman, 4.2 lbs, and Seth Noah Lyman, 3.9 lbs, to Mr. and  
Mrs. Joshua Lyman, George Washington Hospital, October 1, 2003.

  


Week of November 9, 2003  
BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES

ENGAGEMENT: Zoey Sarah Bartlet to Charles Michael Young, November 8, 2003.

  


  



	2. Make Some Sense 1

 

The Masterplan: Make Some Sense   
Category: C.J./Sam   
Rating: PG   
Disclaimers: Not mine, never have been. Except for Eleanor and the kids. Copyright Oasis and Aaron Sorkin.   
Spoilers: "18th & Potomac"   
Summary: "Take the time to make some sense of what you want to say..."

Author's Note: This occurs in the same AU as the Jukebox Series. See the prologue for a timeline.

"C.J., we'll be late if you don't hurry up!" Sam Seaborn called to his wife.

"It's not my fault, Sam." Claudia Jean "C.J." Seaborn called back to her husband. "It's Alyssa."

Sam sighed. Their two-year old daughter was very precocious, but she was also a handful. Today she was vigorously protesting her dress that C.J. had laid out for her. Sam could hear his daughter's strident little voice from the other end of their hotel suite. "No, Mommy!"

Eventually, though, C.J.'s arguments won out. "Lissy, you want Grandma Abbey to say you look nice, don't you?"

Alyssa went quiet. "Grandma Abbey?" she asked.

"Yes, dear."

Alyssa positively worshipped the former First Lady. The dress went on and C.J. picked up the little girl, ready to leave. "All set, Daddy!" she said as she saw her father.

"That's good, Lissy." Sam smiled. He said to C.J., "So who's coming today?"

"Let's see." C.J. ticked off the names on her fingers. "Josh, Donna and the kids, my mother and Leo. Maybe Toby. Maybe a few others."

"Cool." Sam hesitated, but had to broach the subject. "I wonder how Bartlet is doing."

C.J.'s face grew drawn. "Abbey says not too well," she answered quietly. "I'd prepare yourself for a shock."

"Really." Sam sighed. "I guess I had to expect it sometime."

"Yeah."

The two were silent on the road to the Bartlets' home. Much, after all, had changed since the Bartlet administration had left office. Leo and Eleanor had married. Zoey Bartlet was now Zoey Bartlet-Young, Esq., with her own private law practice. And of course, Josh and Donna were now married, with children.

It was a daunting thought.

Alyssa, oblivious to this melancholy line of thinking, chattered happily in the back seat of their rental car. "Mommy, I see Uncle Josh and Aunt Donna today?"

"Yes, you will." C.J. disentangled herself from her mental abyss. "Uncle Josh and Aunt Donna, and Jake and Becky will be there too." The former and latter were the Lymans' one-year old twins.

"Yay!" Alyssa's moon face split into a toothy two-year old smile. "Grandma Abbey, and Aunt Donna and Uncle Josh and Aunt Mal'ry �"

"Mallory!" Sam exclaimed.

"Yes, Mallory." C.J. shot him a stern glare. "First off, now she really is Alyssa's aunt since my mother married Leo. Secondly, don't interrupt. It sets a bad example. Thirdly, you haven't seen Mallory since the wedding. She's your step-sister-in-law. Be a man and deal with it."

Sam shot his wife a dirty look, but as a rule they didn't argue in front of Alyssa. Thus, he was forced to change the subject. "So, how long has it been since you heard from Toby?"

"Quite a while." C.J. bit her lip nervously. "He said Senator Delehanty's campaign was rough."

"C.J., come on. This is Toby." Sam grinned. "He could live through a Third World war, let alone a particularly mudslinging gubernatorial campaign."

"But he sounded awful on the phone, according to Abbey." C.J. sighed. "He can't even get one day off to come up here to New Hampshire with us. I guess I just worry about him."

Sam laid a hand gently on his wife's shoulder. "C.J.," he said. "It'll be fine. Toby's not stupid. He's not going to kill himself over this thing."

"I guess you're right."

Alyssa, who had fallen uncharacteristically silent since her father's interruption, piped up. "We there yet, Daddy?"

Just as Sam was about to respond he changed his tack in mid-sentence. "Yes, Lissy, actually, we're here."

C.J. parked the car in the familiar driveway behind an unfamiliar-looking car with Vermont plates. She got out, unstrapping the little girl. "Prepare yourself," she said to Sam under her breath.

"I know." Together they stepped onto the porch. Sam rang the bell of the Bartlets' farmhouse.

 

  



	3. Make Some Sense 2

 

Warnings/disclaimers: See pt 1   
\---------------

The sound of footsteps were heard. Then a very familiar voice shouted, "Donna, damn it, I have to get the door!"

Josh Lyman flung the door open only to see his friends. "Sam!" shouted the former Deputy Chief of Staff, bearhugging his best friend. "How are you? How've things been?"

"Not too bad, not too bad," Sam rejoined, grinning. He gestured to the small person in the group, saying teasingly, "Watch your mouth around my daughter."

Josh grinned apologetically and turned to his other best friend. "What's doing, Claudia Jean?"

C.J. hugged him tightly. "Not a whole lot, Joshua." She let him go, but kept her hands on his shoulders. "How is he?"

Josh swallowed. "Honestly?" He paused, then finally said, "He's probably not as good as you'd hope. But not as bad as you've probably feared, either." His tone changed and he bent to Alyssa, who up until that moment had been very quiet, sucking her thumb and holding her mother's hand. "Oh, fine," he said in a mock-hurt tone. "Don't even say hi to your Uncle Josh." He turned away.

Then Alyssa came to life, as only two-year olds can do. "Hi!!" she shrieked, running and throwing her little body into his arms.

Josh caught her and lifted her into the air. "I'm glad to see you, sweetheart!" Picking her up, he said, "Tell you what. Let's come inside and you can see your Aunt Donna, and your mommy and daddy can see Jed and Abbey." He twisted his tongue around the last few words. Even after two years out of office, it was hard to call them "Jed and Abbey."

Josh walked inside holding Alyssa, trailed by her parents. "Hey, we got company!" he called.

The next person they saw was Eleanor McGarry. "Hi, everyone!" she cried, hugging C.J. and then Sam.

"How are you, Eleanor?" Sam asked. She looked wonderful. Marriage to the former Chief of Staff agreed with her.

"I'm just fine, thank you, Sam," Eleanor said, smiling. "Leo is around here somewhere; I think he's with Abbey and Mallory." She turned to Alyssa. "And how is my granddaughter?"

Alyssa transferred herself into Eleanor's arms. "I good, Grandma."

"That's good, sweetheart."

Just as Eleanor was about to say more, a thin, red-haired woman walked into the hall. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Hi, C.J." Mallory O'Brien hugged her stepsister.

"Hi, Mal. How are you?" Since their parents had married, C.J. and Mallory had bonded somewhat. They didn't exactly feel like sisters, but they were friends with a good working relationship. "Still dating Mark?" Mallory's latest boyfriend was Mark Harper, who worked out of the Attorney General's office.

"Fascist," Sam grumbled under his breath. Harper was far too conservative for his bent.

Mallory faced her brother-in-law, bemused smile on her face. "Sam, you show far too much interest in my love life for a man with a wife and daughter."

After all that had happened, she still liked to tease him. "Mal, I just don't agree with his politics. Whatever makes you happy."

He'd choked on his words, but Mal let it slide. "Hi, sweetheart!" she said to Alyssa, who was still perched in her grandmother's arms. "Come on, you guys. If you'll excuse us, Eleanor �"

"Go right ahead." Eleanor smiled. "The Bartlets are dying to see you." She handed Alyssa to Mallory and followed then into the living room.

The crush was immediate. Leo, Donna, and the kids all came over en masse to say hello. Finally, the former First Lady walked up to the Seaborns.

Abbey Bartlet hadn't aged that much since Washington. The only noticeable difference was a marked stiffness in her movements as she came over. "Sam. C.J." Her eyes were bright. "It's great to see you. You both look wonderful."

"Right," scoffed C.J., laughing. "Now that you're not the First Lady, Abbey, I can call you a liar. I look all right. For a forty-year old communications rep with a two-year old daughter."

Abbey laughed. "Sam, what have you been up to? We haven't heard from you in quite some time; not since Alyssa was born."

There was an implied reproof there, and Sam didn't miss it. "I know, Abbey, and I'm sorry. Georgetown is fine, if a bit boring." Sam was a law professor at the university.

He would have said more, but Alyssa could not keep quiet anymore. She wrenched herself from Mallory's arms and ran over to Abbey.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Abbey smiled and picked up the little girl. "How are you doing?"

"Good!" Alyssa smiled back, the same toothy grin she'd given to her mother that morning.

"You look very pretty," Abbey said.

Alyssa turned to her mother, and stuck out her tongue. Turning back to Abbey, she said, "Thank you."

Abbey put Alyssa on the floor, where she could play with Jake and Becky, the Lymans' twins. "She's very cute."

"Thanks." C.J. was rather antsy. "Abbey, I don't mean to be rude, but �"

"- You want to see Jed," Abbey finished for her. "Of course." She turned away for a moment, calling, "Jed! C.J. and Sam are here!"


	4. Make Some Sense 3

 

There was a loaded moment before the former President answered. "Be right down!"

C.J. relaxed, but only a bit. "He sounds fine."

"Yes." Abbey smiled gamely. "He has his good and bad days. This, apparently, is a good one."

After a while, a series of slow thumps were heard on the stairs, and Josiah "Jed" Bartlet walked into the room on a silver-topped cane. "C.J.! Sam!" he said in a hearty voice. "It's great to see you!"

"Likewise." Sam shook his hand and C.J. gave Bartlet a resounding hug. But each had to swallow exclamations of dismay.

How thin he looked! While his voice was steady, his frame had wizened, and his hands trembled just a bit. To the outsider this gave Bartlet an elfin appearance. But to those who knew him well it was frightening how he had aged in just two years.

Sam recovered first. "So, how are you, sir?"

Bartlet waved a careless hand. "Aw, hell, Sam, I'm not the President anymore. Call me Jed." His tone turned mocking. "Pretty nice for associate law professors to call Presidents by their first names." He paused. "I heard about the case. Congratulations."

"Thank you." Sam had served as associate counsel for one of his old friends as they argued a case before the Supreme Court.

"And Claudia Jean." Bartlet's tone was something special. "How are you?"

"Just fine." C.J. smiled, pointing to her daughter. "You remember Alyssa, I presume?"

"How could I forget?" Bartlet, with surprising quickness, tickled the little girl. "How is my Alyssa?"

She squealed. "Good!"

"That's fine!" Bartlet turned toward his wife. "Well, what are you waiting for, woman?" he asked, smiling.

"Nothing." Abbey responded. "Go ahead and call them."

"Fine." Bartlet cleared his throat, then finally bellowed, "Let's eat!"

Dinner was good. Abbey had done a gigantic pot roast, and everyone ate while catching up on each other. They learned, for example, that Ainsley Hayes was now clerking for Justice Andrea Davies, who was � much to their surprise � a moderate. Ellie Bartlet had finished medical school and set up a practice in Boston. And Joey Lucas had married, to another deaf person. She was still a pollster, attached to the House of Representatives.

After dinner, Mallory stood and excused herself. "I have to be leaving now. My plane leaves at eight a.m. and I need sleep." Hugs were exchanged all around, with Mallory promising C.J. information about her latest boyfriend.

The McGarrys followed suit soon after. Surprisingly it was Eleanor who cited work-related problems, instead of Leo. "That's not supposed to happen!" cracked Jed, to incipient laughter.

After Mallory, Leo and Eleanor left, the Lymans, Bartlets and Seaborns settled down in the living room. Bartlet embroiled C.J., Josh and Abbey into a drawn-out dispute over the latest Senate health care bill. The kids played on the floor, while Donna and Sam watched fondly.

Sam rubbed Donna's back in a series of small circles. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Donna caught his hand, cradling it. "I think for the first time, I'm really, honestly happy." She turned a tender smile on her kids and Alyssa.

"I'm glad." Sam grinned. "I'm happy too. Really."

There was a hanging note in his voice and Donna picked it up. "But?..." she prompted.

"But..." Sam broke off, impish smile on his face. "Honestly? I miss the White House."

"Really." Donna laughed just a bit. "It's funny you should say that, because I know for a fact that Josh is bored."

"Really?"

"Oh, he's happy." Donna was quick to clarify. "He loves me, he loves the kids and he likes his job." Josh had decided to try his hand at fiction writing, and his first book had sold very well. "But there's just something that tells me he's bored."

Sam was about to say more, but Jed interrupted. "So, everyone, tell me. Out of curiosity. What do you all think you'll be doing in a year?"

Josh was first to respond. "I'll probably be writing again. My publisher is hounding me day and night."

"I'll keep up my business and watch the kids." Donna answered. "I hope you'll try some of my things, sir." Donna had started a small baked goods company which turned a modest profit.

"I'd enjoy that, Donna." Bartlet laughed and was suddenly racked with coughing. Abbey handed her husband a glass of water, but C.J. saw how stricken she looked. 

Finally, it passed. "Sam," Bartlet said, keeping his voice quieter, "what about you?"

Sam paused idly as Alyssa climbed onto his lap. "Well, I'll probably try to get tenure at Georgetown. Some of my articles were very well received."

Bartlet smiled. "What about you, Claudia Jean?"

C.J. lifted her eyes from the carpet. "Honestly, I have no idea."

"No idea?" Abbey echoed.

"None." C.J. shrugged. "Don't like my job that much." C.J. worked at Lennox Chase, Mandy Hampton's old firm. "I've got a two-year old to raise. I'll probably just stay home."

Sam kept his face a blank slate as C.J. spoke. Why, oh why, did she keep doing this? She was miserable; anyone with half a brain could see it. But why didn't she do anything? There were openings if one knew where to look. Waiting for the right time? Sam simply didn't know.

Bartlet's gaze was fixed on something across the room. He said thickly, "Not our Claudia Jean."

Abbey never took her eyes off her husband as she tried to change the subject. "I hate to ask this, but who do you think will run against President Stewart in this election?" Joseph Stewart was Bartlet's Republican successor. Among his own party mates, Stewart was called a reformer. Among Democrats, he was called a Nazi.

Loud groans were heard from Josh, Sam and C.J. "Probably, though I don't want to think about it," Josh responded, "it'll be Hoynes."

"Hoynes will run?" Abbey asked. "Really?"

C.J. nodded. "Losing in '02 doesn't matter. A grand jury doesn't matter." Her voice became very bitter. "It wasn't his scandal."

Silence fell as the room contemplated what would be worse: a Hoynes presidency or another Stewart presidency.

Finally, noise came from little Becky Lyman. "Mama. Tired."

Donna laughed. "Okay." She picked up Becky and said, "Come on, Josh, we'd better go. These two are going to drop."

"Okay." Josh picked up Jake and turned to Abbey. "It's been great," he said. "We've got to do this again soon."

"Come anytime," Abbey said with a flash of desperation. "We'll be here."

Everyone said their collective goodbyes. Donna kissed Sam. C.J. and Josh promised to better stay in touch. The children were kissed and cooed over. Finally, the Lymans took their leave.


End file.
